Ethiopia
transitional government
Ethiopia as the 1995 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 80 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.
field in that editiontext changed from the edition beforenot in that editionthe open editionEach field below ends in its editions, 1990 to 2025. Point at a year above to follow it down.
No fields match. Try a shorter word.
Geography
Eastern Africa, west of Somalia
14 fieldsLand useshare of 1,127,127 sq km
International disputes
southern half of the boundary with Somalia is a Provisional Administrative Line; territorial dispute with Somalia over the Ogaden
Environment
- current issues:
- deforestation;
- overgrazing;
- soil erosion;
- desertification;
- famine
- natural hazards:
- geologically active Great Rift Valley susceptible to earthquakes, volcanic eruptions; frequent droughts
- international agreements:
- party to - Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Ozone Layer Protection;
- signed, but not ratified - Desertification, Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban
Note
landlocked - entire coastline along the Red Sea was lost with the de jure independence of Eritrea on 27 April 1993
People
15 fieldsPer 1,000 population(1995 est.)
Male · female(1995 est.)
Age structure
- 0-14 years:
- 46% (female 12,782,345; male 12,802,187)
- 15-64 years:
- 52% (female 14,352,059; male 14,511,342)
- 65 years and over:
- 2% (female 815,974; male 715,111) (July 1995 est.)
Net migration rate
NA migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)
note: repatriation of Ethiopian refugees from Sudan, Kenya and Somalia, where they had taken refuge from war and famine in earlier years, is expected to continue in 1995;
additional influxes of Sudanese and Somalis fleeing fighting in their countries can be expected in 1995
Languages
Amharic (official), Tigrinya, Orominga, Guaraginga, Somali, Arabic, English (major foreign language taught in schools)
Government
Transitional government; President MELES Zenawi (since 1 June 1991); Prime Minister TAMIRAT Layne (since 6 June 1991)
21 fieldsNames
- conventional long form:
- none
- conventional short form:
- Ethiopia
- local long form:
- none
- local short form:
- Ityop'iya
Type
transitional government
note: on 28 May 1991 the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) toppled the authoritarian government of MENGISTU Haile-Mariam and took control in Addis Ababa;
a new constitution was promulgated in December 1994 and national and regional elections are scheduled for May 1995; the administrative regions will elect regional assemblies by popular vote; the National Assembly will have two chambers - one elected by popular vote and the other selected as representatives by the regional assemblies;
the lower house of the National Assembly will select or confirm the president, the prime minister and the cabinet officers and judges; the prime minister will be the chief executive officer and the duties of the president will be mostly ceremonial
Administrative divisions
14 ethnically-based administrative regions (astedader akababiwach, singular - astedader akababi) Addis Ababa, Afar, Amhara, Benishangul, Gambela, Gurage-Hadiya-Kambata, Hareri, Kefa, Omo, Oromo, Sidama, Somali, Tigray, Wolayta; regions: Kefa, Omo, Sidama, and Wolayta note: the following named four administrative regions may have been abolished and their territories distributed among the remaining ten
Independence
oldest independent country in Africa and one of the oldest in the world - at least 2,000 years
Executive branch
- chief of state:
- President MELES Zenawi (since 1 June 1991);
- appointed by the Council of Representatives following the military defeat of the MENGISTU government;
- following the elections to the National Assembly scheduled for May 1995 the lower house of the National Assembly will nominate a new president
- head of government:
- Prime Minister TAMIRAT Layne (since 6 June 1991);
- a new prime minister will be designated by the party in power following the elections to the General Assembly in May 1995
- cabinet:
- Council of Ministers;
- presently designated by the chairman of the Council of Representatives;
- under the new constitution and following the elections in May 1995 the cabinet officers will be selected by the prime minister
Constituent Assembly
- elections were held on 5 June 1994;
- results - government parties swept almost all seats;
- in December 1994 the Constituent Assembly ratified the new constitution with few changes;
- the new constitution prescribes two chambers for the new National Assembly - one which is elected by popular vote and one which represents the ethnic interests of the regional governments
Political parties and leaders
Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF), MELES Zenawi;
Other political or pressure groups
- Oromo Liberation Front (OLF);
- All Amhara People's Organization;
- Southern Ethiopia People's Democratic Coalition;
- numerous small, ethnic-based groups have formed since Mengistu's resignation, including several Islamic militant groups
Member of
ACP, AfDB, CCC, ECA, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGADD, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ISO, ITU, NAM, OAU, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNU, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in US
- chief of mission:
- Ambassador BERHANE Gebre-Christos
- chancery:
- 2134 Kalorama Road NW, Washington, DC 20008
- telephone:
- [1] (202) 234-2281, 2282
US diplomatic representation
- chief of mission:
- Ambassador Irvin HICKS
- embassy:
- Entoto Street, Addis Ababa
- mailing address:
- P. O. Box 1014, Addis Ababa
- telephone:
- [251] (1) 550666
Flag
- three equal horizontal bands of green (top), yellow, and red;
- Ethiopia is the oldest independent country in Africa, and the colors of her flag were so often adopted by other African countries upon independence that they became known as the pan-African colors
Economy
With the independence of Eritrea on 27 April 1993, Ethiopia | continues to face difficult economic problems as one of the poorest | and least developed countries in Africa.
19 fieldsInstalled generating capacity, 460,000 kW
Overview
With the independence of Eritrea on 27 April 1993, Ethiopia continues to face difficult economic problems as one of the poorest and least developed countries in Africa. Its economy is based on agriculture, which accounts for about 45% of GDP, 90% of exports, and 80% of total employment;
coffee generates 60% of export earnings. The agricultural sector suffers from frequent periods of drought, poor cultivation practices, and deterioration of internal security conditions. The manufacturing sector is heavily dependent on inputs from the agricultural sector. Over 90% of large-scale industry, but less than 10% of agriculture, is state run.
The government is considering selling off a portion of state-owned plants, and is implementing reform measures that are gradually liberalizing the economy. A major medium-term problem is the improvement of roads, water supply, and other parts of an infrastructure badly neglected during years of civil strife.
Exports
$219.8 million (f.o.b., 1993 est.)
- commodities:
- coffee, leather products, gold
- partners:
- Germany, Japan, Saudi Arabia, France, Italy
Imports
$1.04 billion (c.i.f., 1993 est.)
- commodities:
- capital goods, consumer goods, fuel
- partners:
- US, Germany, Italy, Saudi Arabia, Japan
Agriculture
- accounts for 45% of GDP;
- export crops of coffee and oilseeds are grown partly on state farms;
- estimated 50% of agricultural production is at subsistence level;
- principal crops and livestock - cereals, pulses, coffee, oilseeds, sugarcane, potatoes and other vegetables, hides and skins, cattle, sheep, goats
Illicit drugs
- transit hub for heroin originating in Southwest and Southeast Asia and destined for Europe and North America as well as cocaine destined for southern African markets;
- cultivates qat (chat) for local use and regional export
Economic aid
- recipient:
- US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $504 million;
- Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $3.4 billion;
- OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $8 million;
- Communist countries (1970-89), $2 billion
Exchange rates
- birr (Br) per US$1 - 5.9500 (January 1995), 5.9500 (1994), 5.0000 (fixed rate 1992-93);
- fixed at 2.070 before 1992;
- note - official rate pegged to the US$
Transportation
5 fieldsAirports by runway lengthpaved left, unpaved right · 98 in all
Networkskm
Railroads
- total:
- 681 km (Ethiopian segment of the Addis Ababa-Djibouti railroad)
- narrow gauge:
- 681 km 1.000-m gauge
Highways
- total:
- 24,127 km
- paved:
- 3,289 km
- unpaved:
- gravel 6,664 km;
- improved earth 1,652 km;
- unimproved earth 12,522 km (1993)
Merchant marine
- total:
- 12 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 62,627 GRT/88,909 DWT
- ships by type:
- cargo 8, livestock carrier 1, oil tanker 2, roll-on/roll-off cargo 1
Communications
3 fieldsTelephone system
NA telephones; open-wire and radio relay system adequate for government use
- local:
- NA
- intercity:
- open wire and microwave radio relay links
- international:
- open-wire to Sudan and Djibouti;
- microwave radio relay to Kenya and Djibouti;
- 3 INTELSAT (1 Atlantic Ocean and 2 Pacific Ocean) earth stations
Defense Forces
Transitional Government of Ethiopia Forces, Air Force, | Police
3 fieldsManpower availability
- males age 15-49 12,658,084;
- males fit for military service 6,569,759;
- males reach military age (18) annually 565,976 (1995 est.)
Defense expenditures
exchange rate conversion - $140 million, 4.1% of GDP (FY94/95) EUROPA ISLAND (possession of France)
Cite this entry
Central Intelligence Agency. “Ethiopia.” The World Factbook 1995. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/ethiopia/1995.